I think you need to distinguish "public information" from "private information". For example, there are several sources of information (that I can think of) that you have not included in your exceptions: *farm and business directories *plat books *military rosters *phone books All of these have information about living persons, but it is all "public information" - information that has been published and is readily available. In the case of phone books, I do not publish the phone numbers, just names and addresses unless the information is so old that the phone number is 3 digits long -- or "two longs and a short" <grin> Examples of "Private Information" are things like mother's maiden name, social security numbers, date of birth and/or marriage, addresses, phone numbers, and children's names. I do not help folks find living people, but refer them to the Salvation Army and/or Red Cross. We do not know if the seeker is looking to settle a grudge and we do not know if the person sought wants to be found. --- Michael and Vivian Saffold <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello, all, > > The committee has completed its work on a proposed > privacy policy for the > GAGenWeb Project. > > Thanks to chairman Keith Giddeon and members Linda > Blum-Barton, Ed Gordon > and Liz Nash for their work on this. > > The proposed policy is cited below, as well as at > the following url: > http://www.giddeon.com/wilkes/privacy/ > > Let's have discussion on this for the remainder of > the week, and be > prepared to vote on Monday, May 2. > > As always, let's keep the discussion respectful and > issue-focused. > > Thanks, > > Vivian > > Final Committee Draft of The GAGenWeb Privacy Policy > > The GAGenWeb Project is dedicated to the free > exchange of genealogical > information on the World Wide Web. Our goal is to > provide free genealogical > information for the family researcher in a manner > that will protect the > privacy of living persons by not sharing personal > information about them > without their permission. > In order to provide the most protection, some > genealogical information may > not be available to the researcher. Being aware that > the sharing of > information online is essential to family history > research, and that living > persons have a right to privacy, The GAGenWeb > Project and the volunteers > who make up the Project will abide by the following > guidelines when > publishing personal information of any person on a > Project site. > > Project Volunteers should: > > � recognize that the legal right to privacy may > limit how information is > used on their Web site(s). > > � never knowingly include information of living > persons on their site(s) > without that person's prior approval. > > � provide information, as needed, to contributors on > the need to protect > the privacy of their living relatives. > > � ask contributors if permission has been granted by > living people for the > sharing of personal information about them. > > � remove any information upon receipt of a request > by the person listed at > the earliest possible time. > > Allowable exceptions to this policy are: > > � Census records � transcriptions or other > facsimiles of U. S. Census > Bureau schedules are acceptable for use on Project > sites, though a Project > volunteer should remove any person's census record > upon request by that person. > > � Marriage records � transcriptions or other > facsimiles of county marriage > records are acceptable for use on Project sites, > though a Project volunteer > may choose a specific cut-off date for their local > or special project. A > Project volunteer should remove any person's name > from a marriage record > upon request by that person. > > � Cemetery surveys � compiled cemetery headstones > are acceptable for use on > Project sites, though a Project volunteer should > remove any living person's > headstone transcription upon request by that person. > > � Obituaries � the names of surviving family > members, pallbearers, and > friends listed in obituaries may be published, if > all other personal > information (such as place of street address, > employer, etc.) on those > persons is redacted. > ====================================================================== > > > > > ==== GAGEN Mailing List ==== > GAGenWeb By-Laws Committee Information Web Site: > http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacolqu2/bylaws/ > > __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

"Personal information" is what was discussed. To me, it matters not if the information is private or public. Just because information is available elsewhere does not mean GAGenWeb should also publish it. If the information is readily available, then there's no need for GAGenWeb to publish. We can spend our time more wisely by typing data not so easily accessible on dead ancestors. ---Keith Joy Fisher wrote: >I think you need to distinguish "public information" >from "private information". For example, there are >several sources of information (that I can think of) >that you have not included in your exceptions: > >*farm and business directories >*plat books >*military rosters >*phone books > >All of these have information about living persons, >but it is all "public information" - information that >has been published and is readily available. > >In the case of phone books, I do not publish the phone >numbers, just names and addresses unless the >information is so old that the phone number is 3 >digits long -- or "two longs and a short" <grin> > >Examples of "Private Information" are things like >mother's maiden name, social security numbers, date of >birth and/or marriage, addresses, phone numbers, and >children's names. > >I do not help folks find living people, but refer them >to the Salvation Army and/or Red Cross. We do not know >if the seeker is looking to settle a grudge and we do >not know if the person sought wants to be found. > > > >--- Michael and Vivian Saffold ><[email protected]> wrote: > > >>Hello, all, >> >>The committee has completed its work on a proposed >>privacy policy for the >>GAGenWeb Project. >> >>Thanks to chairman Keith Giddeon and members Linda >>Blum-Barton, Ed Gordon >>and Liz Nash for their work on this. >> >>The proposed policy is cited below, as well as at >>the following url: >>http://www.giddeon.com/wilkes/privacy/ >> >>Let's have discussion on this for the remainder of >>the week, and be >>prepared to vote on Monday, May 2. >> >>As always, let's keep the discussion respectful and >>issue-focused. >> >>Thanks, >> >>Vivian >> >>Final Committee Draft of The GAGenWeb Privacy Policy >> >>The GAGenWeb Project is dedicated to the free >>exchange of genealogical >>information on the World Wide Web. Our goal is to >>provide free genealogical >>information for the family researcher in a manner >>that will protect the >>privacy of living persons by not sharing personal >>information about them >>without their permission. >>In order to provide the most protection, some >>genealogical information may >>not be available to the researcher. Being aware that >>the sharing of >>information online is essential to family history >>research, and that living >>persons have a right to privacy, The GAGenWeb >>Project and the volunteers >>who make up the Project will abide by the following >>guidelines when >>publishing personal information of any person on a >>Project site. >> >>Project Volunteers should: >> >>. recognize that the legal right to privacy may >>limit how information is >>used on their Web site(s). >> >>. never knowingly include information of living >>persons on their site(s) >>without that person's prior approval. >> >>. provide information, as needed, to contributors on >>the need to protect >>the privacy of their living relatives. >> >>. ask contributors if permission has been granted by >>living people for the >>sharing of personal information about them. >> >>. remove any information upon receipt of a request >>by the person listed at >>the earliest possible time. >> >>Allowable exceptions to this policy are: >> >>. Census records -- transcriptions or other >>facsimiles of U. S. Census >>Bureau schedules are acceptable for use on Project >>sites, though a Project >>volunteer should remove any person's census record >>upon request by that person. >> >>. Marriage records -- transcriptions or other >>facsimiles of county marriage >>records are acceptable for use on Project sites, >>though a Project volunteer >>may choose a specific cut-off date for their local >>or special project. A >>Project volunteer should remove any person's name >>from a marriage record >>upon request by that person. >> >>. Cemetery surveys -- compiled cemetery headstones >>are acceptable for use on >>Project sites, though a Project volunteer should >>remove any living person's >>headstone transcription upon request by that person. >> >>. Obituaries -- the names of surviving family >>members, pallbearers, and >>friends listed in obituaries may be published, if >>all other personal >>information (such as place of street address, >>employer, etc.) on those >>persons is redacted. >> >> >> >====================================================================== > > >> >> >>==== GAGEN Mailing List ==== >>GAGenWeb By-Laws Committee Information Web Site: >>http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacolqu2/bylaws/ >> >> >> >> > >__________________________________________________ >Do You Yahoo!? >Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around >http://mail.yahoo.com > > >==== GAGEN Mailing List ==== >GAGenWeb By-Laws Committee Information Web Site: >http://www.rootsweb.com/~gacolqu2/bylaws/ > > > > > > >